As the gentle breeze caresses the waters, delicate ripples emerge on the surface of the Xiaoyanghua River, a second-order tributary of the Tuojiang River. Along the riverbank, a small wetland thrives with vibrant flora, including iris blooms, canna lilies, and Brazilian watermilfoil. Every so often, graceful little egrets soar past, painting a stunning ecological masterpiece on nature's canvas. On June 3, the reporter captured this scene in the Hongqi Community of Zhongtian Town, Lezhi County, Ziyang City.

In the eyes of local residents, the Xiaoyanghua River was once a polluted waterway. "In the past, floating garbage often marred the water surface, while silt accumulated along the riverbank, significantly impacting our living environment," said Zhang Furong, a resident of Hongqi Community. In recent years, there has been a noticeable improvement in the river's water quality.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has instructed Sichuan to consistently reinforce the ecological shield along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. Keeping in mind General Secretary's directives, Sichuan has persistently worked to solidify the progress made in watershed management, ensuring the pristine quality of these vital waterways is safeguarded. In 2023, for the first time, 203 sections under the national monitoring program, 142 sections under the provincial monitoring program, and 285 water function areas across the province achieved full compliance with water quality standards, each hitting the 100 percent mark. On June 3, the Sichuan Provincial Event on Environment Day 2024 was held in Ziyang. The event featured a live video connection with cities along the Tuojiang River, including Deyang, Chengdu and Ziyang, highlighting the successful ecological environment governance achievements within the Tuojiang River basin.

Maintaining tributary clean as the key to main stream clarity

Being a crucial tributary of the Yangtze River, the Tuojiang River was previously among the most polluted waterways in the upper Yangtze River basin. With the implementation of basin-wide management strategies, by 2022, 100 percent of Tuojiang River sections under the national monitoring program met the criteria for good water quality, marking a significant increase from 6.2 percent in 2017. Moreover, by 2023, an impressive 88.9 percent of the Tuojiang main stream's sections under the national monitoring program have attained water quality levels of Grade II or higher.

"Currently, the main stream of the Tuojiang River in the Ziyang section maintains a steady water quality, meeting or surpassing Grade II standards. Nonetheless, the water quality in the tributaries shows variability." Luo Wen, director of the Ziyang Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, highlighted that Ziyang is a city heavily dependent on agriculture, facing acute water scarcity and being susceptible to non-point source pollution stemming from agricultural practices. The current environmental efforts are concentrated on controlling pollution in small watersheds.

For instance, the primary industry in the Xiaoyanghua River basin is agriculture, leading to numerous non-point source pollution sites with widespread distribution and high concentration levels. "In the past, waste containing feces, pesticides and fertilizers would frequently find their way into rivers through the impact of precipitation and runoff." Huang Wei, the technical river chief of the Xiaoyanghua River, introduced that the current application of the "ecological ditch + small-scale wetland" pollution control approach has successfully captured nitrogen and phosphorus elements discharged through farmland drainage, resulting in an effective ecological interception.

"The secret to purifying sewage lies beneath the irises," Huang Wei explained, pointing to the ecological wetland beside the river channel. These aquatic plants have a long flowering period, are flood-tolerant, and possess innate purification capabilities. After filtration through the wetland, the water quality basically meets the discharge standards. Since the agricultural water undergoes a series of treatment processes, including ecological ditch, eco-stagnation pond, and subsurface-surface flow wetland, the non-point source pollution from farmlands into the Xiaoyanghua River has been significantly reduced.

How do we ensure the effectiveness of the treatment? Huang Wei acknowledged that ecological methods cannot always guarantee that the treatment meets standards. As a solution, a circulation system has been specifically designed to redirect water that does not meet the criteria back to the ecological ditches. "This innovative approach has led to a significant reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers along the river basin, with an average decrease of 3.4 kilograms per mu of cultivated land. Additionally, the pollution factors entering the river have been effectively reduced by 10 percent to 35 percent," said Huang Wei.

As the Chinese saying goes, "Learning about what is forthcoming by observing tiny clues," the changes in the Xiaoyanghua River reflect Sichuan's sustained efforts in the small watershed management.

In Tongxinyuan Village, Huajia Town, Longchang City, Neijiang, also situated alongside the Tuojiang River, the contemporary agricultural park specializing in rice and shrimp cultivation has implemented the "three ponds and two dams" technique to enhance the purification of aquaculture tailwater. Dazhou City's Dazhu County and Chongqing's Liangping District have collaboratively initiated joint river patrols, coordinated law enforcement, and other related activities as part of the water ecological management of small watersheds in the Sichuan and Chongqing regions.

"Currently, the water quality of major rivers and streams in the province has shown significant improvement. However, there remain many tough challenges to tackle in small watersheds," noted Yang Changjun, an expert from the Sichuan Academy of Eco-Environmental Sciences. He emphasized that only when the tributaries are clean can the main streams be clear, and effectively managing small watersheds is an imperative task that Sichuan must address.

Promoting extensive public participation in preserving river water clean

Watershed management has long grappled with a dual challenge: balancing the responsibility to restore and safeguard the ecological environment with the necessity of addressing local residents' livelihoods and economic advancement.

The Tuojiang River basin, which accounts for only 3.5 percent of the province's water resources, supports 27.4 percent of its population and contributes 32.1 percent of its GDP. The Yanghua River, a first-order tributary of the Tuojiang River, is interconnected with the local residents' livelihood and economic development in the region.

Traveling upstream from the Hongqi Community to the Xiaoyanghua River, the reporter arrived at another tributary of the Yanghua River – the Tongjia River. In the Qingshui Village here, the continuous improvement and enhancement of water quality have brought about new development opportunities.

Wu Ping, the chairman of the Qingshui Villagers Committee, highlighted, "With our clear river, we've captured the interest of investors." He elaborated that during investors' assessments of various locales, Qingshui Village stood out as a contender. As the drone soared over the village, offering an aerial view of the surroundings, investors were captivated by the area's good ecological setting. Consequently, the project was promptly approved and executed within a short timeframe.

"In the past, the water quality of Tongjia River was inferior," Wu Ping acknowledged. He reminisced about a time when the river's surface was blanketed with water hyacinths, and the water exuded an unpleasant odor. Through a mix of strategies, including pollution source control, endogenous pollution treatment, and ecological restoration, the water quality in the river basin has been upgraded from Grade IV surface water to Grade III surface water.

Following the project implementation, there were considerable economic benefits. Wu Ping introduced the village's investment in the project with land, road facilities, and other assets. In the previous year, the village collective generated more than 900,000 yuan in revenue solely from the "Swing Kingdom" program. In addition to receiving dividends, the project provided job opportunities for nearly 100 villagers, increasing their annual income by over 10,000 yuan per person. "Many people come to our village for tourism. Protecting the ecological environment is securing our livelihood," said Yuan Tongnan, a resident in the village.

Luo Wen emphasized, "Maintaining the river waters clean requires the sustained collective effort of everyone." He mentioned that Ziyang has adopted the "31411" model in grassroots river and lake management as part of its watershed governance strategy, engaging more people in the process to enhance the quality and efficiency of river basin management.

Various regions throughout the province are exploring sustainable development models that integrate ecological governance with industrial development. For instance, Zigong plans to coordinate the efforts of departments like water resources and transportation to jointly manage small watersheds, aiming to promote the development of sightseeing agriculture. Guangyuan's Cangxi County plans to concentrate on small watershed management to develop a 50-square-kilometer area that combines agriculture, tourism and cultural elements. Using the Ecology-oriented Development (EOD) project, Emeishan City explores a holistic development approach that integrates ecological preservation, business model innovation, cultural enhancement, and urban spatial planning.

In the future, Sichuan will further advance initiatives such as restoring the river/lake substrate and riparian habitats, promoting water conservancy projects like the "Dadu River-to-Minjiang River Basin Water Diversion Project," and constructing drainage network connectivity projects. Through these efforts, the province aims to promote water eco-environmental protection in its watersheds, transforming from water pollution control to the coordinated management of aquatic environments, water resources, and aquatic ecosystems, thus accelerating the establishment of a new pattern of coordinated governance for the "three water" realms.